Oliver & Jenny: Sometimes it's Turkey, Sometimes it's Feathers
by Pre-Animation Man
Summary: When she finds a turkey egg, Jenny decides to hatch it and have a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner


a Little giri named Jenny found an egg.

She was hunting for wild mushrooms, and there on the ground, until nearly hidden in a messy nest of leaves, was a large cream-colored egg — with freckles.

Yes, indeed! An egg with freckles.

"Imagine!" She filled her with soft new April grass,

placed the egg gently in the center, and hurried home with her treasure.

Jenny was so excited she almost stepped on Oliver, who was sleeping on the steps.

"Wake up, Oliver," she said.

"Wake up and look at our Thanksgiving dinner. An egg, Oliver. A freckled egg A genuine turkey egg, I do believe!"

"We'll try to hatch it, Oliver," he said. covering the egg with a soft piece of flannel and setting it in a warm place.

"We'll hatch it and feed it and let it grow plump What a fine Thanksgiving dinner we will have. Imagine!"

For days and days they watched it.

Watched it and turned it and warmed it until finally, one day in May they heard a "tap . . . tap . . . tap."

And there on the freckled shell was a tiny crack.

"Tap . . . tap . . . tap . I. tap, tap, tap. And the crack became a tiny hole. They watched and listened, listened and watched ... "It's hatching, Oliver," said Jenny. "Oh! What a fine Thanksgiving dinner we will have."

It was a sticky, wet, boney little lump that tumbled out of the cracked, freckled shell. As it dried it became a fuzzy little lump with beady black eyes and a sharp beak.

"He's hungry, Oliver," said Jenny. "We'll feed him oatmeal and fatten him up. What a fine Thanksgiving dinner we will have.

"Imagine!"

Did that turkey eat!

He ate everything in sight!

Oatmeal, Wheaties, cornmeal and bread, seeds, nuts, insects, sand, and Catfood.

Did that turkey grow!

"Turkey's growing fast, Oliver," said Jenny. "He'll be plenty big for Thanksgiving dinner."

In June, while Jenny was planting seeds, Turkey was eating the strawberries. While Jenny was looking for strawberries, Turkey was eating as many seeds as he could find.

"Never mind, Oliver," said Jenny. "The more he eats, the plumper he gets, and what a fine Thanksgiving dinner we will have. Imagine!"

Turkey ate raspberries in July.

Red raspberries, black raspberries,

white, unripe raspberries—green peas, inchworms, grass seeds—and Catfood.

"Tsk, tsk, Oliver," said Jenny. "Raspberry jam would have been tasty with our Thanksgiving dinner, but at least there will be plenty of turkey."

The grapes grew sweet and purple in August and Turkey ate them—grapes, lima beans, Olivererpillars, pea gravel— and Catfood.

"There will be no grape jelly this year, Oliver," said Jenny, "but what a big, plump Thanksgiving turkey we will have. Imagine!"

The September wind blew the thorn apples off the tree, and Turkey gobbled them up as fast as they fell. Thorn apples, weed seeds, grasshoppers, ladybugs— and Catfood.

"My, my," said Jenny. "Have you ever seen a plumper bird than that, Oliver? What a fine Thanksgiving dinner we will have."

Jenny shelled corn in October. Turkey helped and Oliver watched.

"The corn will make him tasty and tender, Oliver. My, what a delicious Thanksgiving dinner we will have."

Preparations for Thanksgiving Day began early in November.

Jenny found the hatchet and ground some corn for cornbread.

She sharpened the hatchet and cooked cranberry sauce.

She honed the hatchet and baked pumpkin pie

She polished the hatchet and mixed up an onion-and-chestnut stuffing.

She picked up the sharp, honed, polished hatchet and said, "Wait here, Oliver. It's time to prepare that big, fat Turkey. What a fine Thanksgiving dinner we will have!"

What a feast!

Cornbread, all warm and crumbly.

Bright red, sticky sweet cranberry sauce.

Spicy, golden pumpkin pie.

A steaming bowl of fragrant onion-and-chestnut stuffing-and Catfood.

"Sit right down, Oliver," said Jenny. "I'll bring that nice plump Turkey to the table. What a fine Thanksgiving this will be!"

"I have so much to be thankful for," said Jenny, "A Thanksgiving feast, and two good friends to share it with. Imagine!"

"He'll be bigger—and much plumper—next Thanksgiving," said little girl named Jenny. "IMAGINE!"

* * *

Author's Note: Jenny is wearing three-jewel earrings with white, pink, and sky blue, a light purple woollen off-shoulder, and black frilly sandals.


End file.
